Fastener applying device

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a pneumatically operated stapling device for fastening multiple pieces of material together and particularly relates to the improved location of the device&#39;&#39;s manual gripping handle. The device has an upper member that has an ejection chute at one of its ends to guide a reciprocably mounted driver and the upper member has means for guiding and feeding staples to the ejection chute. The upper member is pivotally connected to one end of an underlying base member that has a free end that is pointed for piercing material and has an anvil section for gripping material against the upper member while clinching the legs of a staple ejected from the upper member. Rigid means is operably connected to the driver, to the base member and to a piston that is reciprocably mounted in a cylinder that is attached to one of the members. One end of the cylinder is closed but has means for intermittently admitting pressure air into its closed end to exert pneumatic pressure against both members to move them to grip opposite sides of material while the inducted pressure air is moving the piston against the rigid means to force the driver to eject a staple into the material. A hand grip for the palm and the fingers of one hand is attached to the device to provide a hand gripping surface that extends substantially at right angle to the direction taken by the pointed end of the base member when piercing material so that manual pressure against the hand grip to force the pointed end of the base member to pierce material will be absorbed directly against the palm of the operator&#39;&#39;s hand.

ilnite i Spencer States Patent [1 1 July 3,1973

[ FASTENER APPLYING DEVICE [76] Inventor: Herman .1. Spencer, 2918 Marshall Road, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15214 [22] Filed: June 18, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 154,537

Primary ExaminerGranville Y. Custer, Jr.

[57] ABSTRACT This invention relates to a pneumatically operated stapling device for fastening multiple pieces of material together and particularly relates to the improved location of the devices manual gripping handle. The device has an upper member that has an ejection chute at one of its ends to guide a reciprocably mounted driver and the upper member has means for guiding and feeding staples to the ejection chute. The upper member is pivotally connected to one end of an underlying base member that has a free end that is pointed for piercing material and has an anvil section for gripping material against the upper member while clinching the legs of a staple ejected from the upper member. Rigid means is operably connected to the driver, to the base member and to a piston that is reciprocably mounted in a cylinder that is attached to one of the members. One end of the cylinder is closed but has means for intermittently admitting pressure air into its closed end to exert pneumatic pressure against both members to move them to grip opposite sides of material while the inducted pressure air is moving the piston against the rigid means to force the driver to eject a staple into the material.

A hand grip for the palm and the fingers of one hand is attached to the device to provide a hand gripping surface that extends substantially at right angle to the direction taken by the pointed end of the base member when piercing material so that manual pressure against the hand grip to force the pointed end of the base member to pierce material will be absorbed directly against the palm of the operators hand.

8 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJUL 3 I973 8HEEY10f3 INVENTOR.

BY 2444M FASTENER APPLYING DEVICE An object of this invention is to provide a device of this type which has a sharpened anvil arm for puncturing boxes etc., to be stapled with a gripping handle that extends at an angle from the device so that the palm of the operators hand will be pressing against the gripping handle in the same direction being taken by the sharpened anvil arm during the puncturing operation.

A further object is to provide a device of this type that is operated by pressure air with a piston that is moved in one direction and the pistons guide moved in an opposite direction by the force being applied with the two directional movements of the parts being used against the upper member and against the base member to urge the members towards each other to grip material with the balance of the force being transmitted against the driver to move it to drive a staple through the material.

Another object is to provide manual means for moving the members into contact with the material to permit positive location as to where the staple will enter the material or to carefully compress the material so I have provided this air driven device that is held and operated with one hand with an optional arrangement that permits manual movement of the members to grip material with the air pressure being inducted at the operator's convenience to complete the stapling operation.

Referring to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through the device illustrating the parts in their starting position.

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the members as having been manually moved to grip the material before pressure air has been inducted.

FIG. 3 is similar to FIG. 2 but illustrates pressure air as having been inducted to complete the stapling operation.

FIG. 4 is a vertical transverse section on line IV-IV of FIG. 1.

Referrimg to the drawings, the device has an upper member 1 containing an ejection chute 2 at its one end, a reciprocably mounted driver 3 in the ejection chute 2 for ejecting staples S, a staple pusher 4, a feeder spring 5 adapted to urge the pusher 4 to feed the staples S along the staple guide 6 towards the ejection chute 2 and a feeder spring guide rod 7 for holding the feeder spring 5 in proper alignment. As shown in FIG. 1, block 8 is secured to the pusher 4 and feeder spring 5 is urges the block 8 towards the ejection chute 2. The base member 9 has a staple clinching anvil 10 on its upper side at its one end that is in alignment with the ejection chute 2 for clinching the legs of a staple S driven through material M and has a sword pointed end 11 for penetrating material. The upper member 1 and the base member 9 are pivoted relative to each other at their opposite ends by shaft 12. The U shaped base member 9 has upturned parallel flanges l3 and each of flanges 13 extends a short distance towards the anvil 10 along both outwardly sides of the upper member 1. The actuating lever 14 is operably secured at its forward end to the driver 3 by pin 15 for reciprocating the driver 3. The actuating lever 14 has arms 16 that extend towards the opposite end of the base member 9 along both outward sides of the device and these arms 16 are pivotally mounted at point between their ends on flanges 13 of the base member 9 by pins 17.

A cylinder 20 is attached to the upper member 1 by shaft 12 and by shaft 18 which is positioned at a point on the upper member 1 between its ends and shaft 18 extends through slots 19 in flanges 13 of the base member 9 to permit the cylinder 20 to move with the upper member 1 and to move relative to the base member 9. See FIGS. 1 and 2. The cylinder 20 extends from the upper member 1 downwardly at an angle away from the underside 21 of the base member 9 and the exterior of the cylinder 20 is adapted to act as a complete handgrip for the palm and the fingers of one hand in the position described. The cylinder 20 is slotted at its attached end to straddle and permit limited relative movement between the cylinder 20 and the base member 9 in the slotted end of the cylinder 20. See FIGS. 1 and 2. The cylinder 20 is open at its upper end adjacent to the base member 9 to provide space for parts to be described. The cylinder 20 is closed at its other end 23 but it has a manually operated valve 24 for intermittently admitting pressure air into its closed end 23. A piston 25 is reciprocably mounted in the cylinder 20 and is at the closed end 23 of the piston guide 20. See FIG. 1. The piston 25 is adapted to be moved away from the closed end 23 of the cylinder 20 in fastener applying direction by pressure air applied against its lower end 26 and against the closed end 23 of the cylinder 20 to urge the piston guide 20 in an opposite direction. See FIGS. 1 and 3.

A U-shaped bracket 27 has its cross member 28 securely seated in a positioning hole 29 in the upper end of piston 25. The upwardly extending sections 30 of the U shaped bracket 27 extend upwardly along the outwardly sides of flanges 13 of the base member 9 and the ends of sections 30 are operatively connected by pins 31 to the rearwardly ends of arms 16 of the actuating lever 14 to rotate the actuating lever 14 on pins 17 carried by the base member 9. See FIGS. 1 and 3.

The manually operated valve 24 is astride passageway 33 to control the flow of pressure air from supply passageway 32 to the cylinder 20. Manual valve 24 has a seal 34 which when seated, as shown in FIG. 1, stops the flow of pressure air to passageway 33. An exhaust port 35 is a narrow slotted opening into the cylindrical shaped passageway 33 located between the seal 34 of the manual valve 24 and the cylinder 20 to exhaust pressure air from the cylinder when valve 24 is seated. The seal end 34 of valve 24 is disk shaped and extending a short distance downwardly from its center is a stem 36 of small diameter which has an enlarged end section 37. The enlarged end section 37 of valve 24 fits closely in the cylindrical shaped guide section of passageway 32 to minimize leakage of pressure air past it and to effectively block off the exhaust port 35 when the valve 24 is unseated as shown in FIG. 3. The trigger 38 is pivoted counterclockwise on the cylinder supported pin 39 against valve 24 to unseat it and move its enlarged stem portion 37 to block off the exhaust port 35. With valve 24 now open, as shown in FIG. 3, the pressure air from the supply passageway 32 moves through passageway 33 into the closed end of the cylinder 20 to exert pressure against end 26 of piston 25 to move it away from the closed end 23 of the cylinder 20 in fastener applying direction and to apply pressure against the closed end 23 of the cylinder 20 to move it in an opposite direction.

A spring 46 has one end 47 resting against the underside of the base member 9 at a point between its ends for moving the base member 9 towards the upper member 1. The opposite end 48 of spring 46 is resting against the upper side of cross member 28 of the U shaped bracket 27 to urge it and piston 25 in reverse fastener applying direction. See FIGS. 1 and 3. Protruding outwardly from the outwardly sides of the upper member 1 are abutments 50 and projecting inwardly in alignment to contact abutments 50 are lugs 49 carried on the actuating lever 14 adjacent to its forwardly end for limiting movement of the actuating lever 14 relative to the upper member 1 after the driver 3 has been retracted sufficiently to permit a staple S to be fed into the ejection chute 2. See FIGS. 1 and 3.

In FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the cylinder 20 is attached to the upper member 1 as described and the optional hand level 51 is attached to the base member 9 by rivets 52 and it will be obvious from FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 that manual pressure against the'left hand side of the cylinder 20 attached to the upper member 1 and against lever 51 attached to the base member 9 will move the free ends of the members to grip material with the operator being free to move the trigger 38 against the valve 24 to induct pressure air at any time he desires. However, the

. operator could move the trigger 38 to induct pressure air without manually moving the members to grip the material.

With the parts in the positions shown in FIG. 1, the palm of the operators hand is against the optional lever 51 or against the right hand side of the cylinder 20 if lever 51 isnt used with his fingers around the left hand side of the cylinder 20 but not pressing the trigger 38. Material M to be stapled is placed between the upper member 1 and the base member 9 as shown in FIG. 2. The operator manually pivots the trigger 38 counterclockwise on pin 39 against valve 24 to move the valve 24 from its seated position shown in FIG. 1 to its unseated position shown in FIG. 3 and in the latter position, pressure air from supply passageway 32 enters passageway 33 and passes into the closed end of the cylinder 20 to exert pressure against the end 26 of the piston 25 to move it in fastener applying direction and the pressure air simultaneously exerts pressure against the end 23 of the cylinder 20 to urge the cylinder 20 attached to the upper member 1 to move the upper member towards the base member 9.

Spring 46 has one end 48 resting on cross member 28 of bracket 27 which is seated in a positioning hole 29 in the upper end of piston 25 and bracket 27 is therefore movable with piston 25. As piston 25 is moved in fastener applying direction by pressure air, spring end 47 of spring 46 is against the underside 21 of the base member 9 and moves the base member 9 towards the upper member 1 to grip the material M. See FIGS. 1 and 2. When the members are stopped from further movement by the material M as shown in FIG. 2, continued movement of piston 25 moves bracket 27 and through pins 31 rotates the actuating lever 14 counterclockwise on pins 17 secured in flanges 13 of the base member 9. As the actuating lever 14 is rotated counterclockwise, its forwardly end moves the driver 3 downwardly to eject a staple S through the material M and against the anvil carried by the base member 9. See FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. The force being applied to the driver 3 to push the staple S through the material M and clinch the staple against the anvil 10 is transmitted from the driver 3 through the actuating lever 14 to the base member 9 to urge it to grip one side of the mate rial M. See FIGS. 1 and 3. It will be apparent from FIG. 3 that end 23 of the cylinder 20 is supporting the expanding force of pressure air being applied against the piston 25 as it is moved in fastener applying direction and therefore pressure on end 23 of the cylinder 29 which is supported on the upper member 1 will be urging the upper member 1 towards the base member 9 to force the upper member 1 to grip the opposite side of material M.

After the staple S is secured in the material M as described above, the operator releases manual pressure on trigger 38 and pressure air in supply passageway 32 applies pressure on end 53 of valve 24 to seat the valve and therefore move its enlarged end section 37 from blocking the exhaust port 35 to permit pressure air in the cylinder 20 to escape through exhaust port 35 as the piston 25 and the parts of the device are returned to their starting positions shown in FIG. 1 by spring 46.

In FIG. 3, the device is shown as having driven and clinched a staple, end 47 of spring 46 is pressing against the underside of the base member 9 at a point between shaft 12 and pins 17 supported on the base member 9, the other end 48 of spring 46 is pressing against the cross member 28 of the U shaped bracket 27 seated in the positioning hole 29 in piston 25. The exhaust of pressure air below piston 25 permits spring 46 to urge base member 9 downward from the position shown in FIG. 3 to that shown in FIG. 1 by exerting downward pressure against pins 17 through the actuating lever 14 and the connected bracket 27 as end 48 of spring 46 moved downward pushing bracket 27 and piston 25 towards end 23 of the cylinder 20. The distance between pins 31 connecting bracket 27 to the actuating lever 14 and pins 17 supporting the actuating lever 14 on the base member 9 is less than from pins 17 to the driver 3 connected to the forward end of the actuating lever 14 and this difference in leverage makes it easier to move the base member 9 downward while the driver 3 remains in its lowered position until the base member 9 has been moved to its open position and continued movement of the actuating lever 14 by spring 46 will rotate the actuating lever 14 clockwise on pins 17 to lift the driver 3 to the starting position shown in FIG. I. Staples being urged towards the ejection chute are pressing against the driver 3 in its lowered position and this pressure increases the power required to retract the driver after a staple has been ejected.

In FIG. 1, shaft 54 shown in dashed lines is secured to the base member 9 to support the cylinder 20 instead of shaft 18 carried by the upper member 1 and in this arrangement, the upper member 1 is movable relative to the cylinder 20. Spring 55 has twin shaped legs 56 positioned opposite each other and the legs are connected by a cross bar 57 that is pressing downward against the upwardly facing part of the upper member 1 adjacent to its ejection chute 2. The free ends of legs 56 have short ends 58 bent upwardly and these ends 58 are retained in holes in the forwardly end 59 of the actuating lever 14 to maintain a resilient pressure between the forwardly end of the actuating lever 14 and the ejection chute 2 end of the upper member 1 for moving the upper member 1 towards the material during a stapling operation and detaining the upper member 1 against the material M until the actuating lever 14 has been moved by spring 55 to retract the driver 3 relative to the upper member 1 after a stapling operation. Using spring 5 5, spring 40 is used to separate the members and spring 40 is weaker than spring 55 to permit Spring 55 to move the upper member 1 towards the base member 9 to grip material before the actuating lever 14 moves the driver 3 to eject a staple.

When cylinder 20 is attached to the upper member 1 by shafts 18 and 12, spring 40 separates the members and spring 55 restrains movement of the driver 3 by the actuating lever 14 while the base member 9 is being moved upward by pins 17 connected to the actuating lever 14 that is being raised by piston 3 through bracket 27 and it will be apparent that air pressure is moving the base member to grip one side of the material and back pressure against end 23 of the cylinder is urging the upper member to grip the opposite side of the material before a staple has been ejected. While I prefer to use spring 46, the device will operate as described using springs 55 and 40 when the cylinder is attached to either member.

it will be noted that the base member 9 has a swordlike pointed end 1 1 adjacent to its anvil 10 for puncturing boxes of other material to be stapled. As the device is shown, the sword pointed end 11 on the base member 9 would be moved horizontally to the left during the puncturing of material and that portion of the handgrip adapted to be held by the palm of the operators hand extends vertically so that the palm of the operators hand will be pressing against the hand-grip in the same general direction as that being taken by the sword point 11 during a puncturing operation.

I claim:

1. A power operated stapler comprising an upper member containing a staple magazine and a reciprocable staple driver, a lower member pivoted at one end to said upper member and having a staple clinching means at its other end, a cylinder unit attached to said upper member, a piston reciprocable in said cylinder, a lever connected at one end to said driver and at its other end to said piston and pivoted intermediate its ends to said lower member, means for admitting pressure air to said cylinder to move said piston whereby said lower member will clamp the work between said upper and lower member and said lever will actuate said driver to drive a staple through the clamped work.

2. A stapling device as set forth in claim I, and a resilient means between said lower member and said piston whereby said lower member will resiliently clamp the material.

3. A stapling device as set forth in claim 2, means between said spring and said piston that is operatively connected to said lever and means for exhausting said pressure air to thereby permit said resilient means to reverse fastener applying movement of the driver, the lever, the lower member and the piston.

4. A power actuated stapler comprising an upper member containing a staple magazine and a staple driver reciprocable betwwen a raised normal position and a lower staple driven position, a spring resiliently biasing said driver to said normal position, a lower member pivoted at one end to said upper member and having staple clinching means at its other end, a cylinder attached to said lower member, a piston reciprocable in said cylinder, a lever connected at one end to said driver and at its other end to said piston and pivoted intermediate its ends to said lower member, means for admitting pressure air to said cylinder whereby said upper member will clamp the work between said upper and lower members and subsequently over come said spring bias to actuate said driver to drive and clinch a staple.

5. A stapling device as set forth in claim 1, wherein pressure air admitted into said cylinder will exert force against said upper member to urge it to grip one side of said material.

6. A stapling device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said cylinder depends from adjacent the pivot end of said upper and lower members to form a hand grip for the operators hand.

7. A stapling device as set forth in claim 6, wherein a lever is attached to said lower member and extends adjacent said hand grip whereby the work may be manually clamped prior to admitting pressure air to said cylinder.

8. A stapling device as set forth in claim 4, wherein said cylinder depends from adjacent the pivot end of said upper and lower members to form a hand grip for the operators hand. 

1. A power operated stapler comprising an upper member containing a staple magazine and a reciprocable staple driver, a lower member pivoted at one end to said upper member and having a staple clinching means at its other end, a cylinder unit attached to said upper member, a piston reciprocable in said cylinder, a lever connected at one end to said driver and at its other end to said piston and pivoted intermediate its ends to said lower member, means for admitting pressure air to said cylinder to move said piston whereby said lower member will clamp the work between said upper and lower member and said lever will actuate said driver to drive a staple through the clamped work.
 2. A stapling device as set forth in claim 1, and a resilient means between said lower member and said piston whereby said lower member will resiliently clamp the material.
 3. A stapling device as set forth in claim 2, means between said spring and said piston that is operatively connected to said lever and means for exhausting said pressure air to thereby permit said resilient means to reverse fastener applying movement of the driver, the lever, the lower member and the piston.
 4. A power actuated stapler comprising an upper member containing a staple magazine and a staple driver reciprocable betwwen a raised normal position and a lower staple driven position, a spring resiliently biasing said driver to said normal position, a lower member pivoted at one end to said upper member and having staple clinching means at its other end, a cylinder attached to said lower member, a piston reciprocable in said cylinder, a lever connected at one end to said driver and at its other end to said piston and pivoted intermediate its ends to said lower member, means for admitting pressure air to said cylinder whereby said upper member will clamp the work between said upper and lower members and subsequently over come said spring bias to actuate said driver to drive and clinch a staple.
 5. A stapling device as set forth in claim 1, wherein pressure air admitted into said cylinder will exert force against said upper member to urge it to grip one side of said material.
 6. A stapling device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said cylinder depends from adjacent the pivot end of said upper and lower members to form a hand grip for the operators hand.
 7. A stapling device as set forth in claiM 6, wherein a lever is attached to said lower member and extends adjacent said hand grip whereby the work may be manually clamped prior to admitting pressure air to said cylinder.
 8. A stapling device as set forth in claim 4, wherein said cylinder depends from adjacent the pivot end of said upper and lower members to form a hand grip for the operators hand. 